


Paris is For Lovers

by KateDoesntExist



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Alcohol as a lubricant, Awkwardness, But no alcohol abuse, Lots of blushing, M/M, Mistaken For A Couple, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, No Angst, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:41:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26089591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KateDoesntExist/pseuds/KateDoesntExist
Summary: In 2024 Hermann and Newt go to a conference in Paris and accidentally have a very romantic weekend.
Relationships: Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb
Comments: 82
Kudos: 56





	1. A Bad Omen

“Hermann! We got it, we’re in!” Newt exclaimed, busting through the lab doors like the freaking Kool Aid man. He flew over to where his befuddled lab partner was wiping clean some doofy looking kaiju doodles Newt had left on his towering chalkboards earlier that day.

“In? In what?” Hermann asked skeptically, putting down the chalk covered rag he was using, and clapping the dust off his hands.

“Dude. We’ve got two passes to the very exclusive, one-and-only, brand-spankin’ new BEKS Symposium!” Newt beamed at Hermann. “And not only that, wait for it- they want us to be the keynote speakers. Can! You! Be! Lieve!”

Hermann returned an incredulous look, a smile starting to spread across his face. “You mean we- ”

“Yes.”

“-are going to Paris?”

“Yes!”

“And we can present our research?”

“Dude, YES! And you know what that means?”

The two of them looked eye to eye, an intensity sparking between them as they spoke the next part in unison, clearly of the same mind.

“More funding!”

It was nearing the end of 2023, and support for the K-Science division had dwindled significantly over the recent years. At this point it was just the two of them working fervently in Hong Kong, trying to scrape by however they could. They had already tapped every resource they knew for additional funds, and all avenues were exhausted. Each day more money was diverted away from the Jaeger program and put towards the Anti-Kaiju Wall. Some called it the “Wall of Life”, but Newt called it the “Wall of Lies”. Hermann called it “a fast way to disown a father”. 

Regardless, neither Newt nor Hermann were pleased with the situation they found themselves in because of it. But with the opportunity to speak at the inaugural Breakthroughs in Engineering & Kaiju Science Symposium, their research was bound to turn some heads, and open some pocket books. Put on by a series of enormously wealthy benefactors, the conference was to convene in Paris in mid January, with the express purpose of inspiring the world’s greatest minds to solve the kaiju problem that was knocking down humanity’s door. And of course, that meant providing the funding to go with it. 

The last two PPDC K-Science officers set to work to prepare.

\---

The week of the event, record snows fell in France, a region more used to a light dusting. Flights were cancelled due to poor visibility, and many Parisian businesses shut down. The city was just not equipped to handle the sudden inclimate weather. Hermann checked the international news for any sign that the snowfall would let up in the coming days, while Newt checked the conference’s website for announcements.

“Sounds like they’ve made the decision to postpone by a month,” Newt called over to Hermann.

“Well that’s not so bad. I’d quite like to formalize the latest data gathered from the Breach anyway. At least this will give me time,” Hermann said, picking up a stack of printouts from his desk. “What is the new date? We’ll have to adjust our accommodations.”

“Uh…” Newt trailed off. “Well…”

Hermann looked over impatiently. “Well, what? Out with it.”

“Well, it’s moved to the 14th.”

Hermann began rifling through his papers. “Very good. That will be plenty of time to reschedule our flights, and-” Hermann paused flipping through the printouts and looked up. “Wait. The 14th you said?”

“Yyyyyup,” Newt replied sarcastically, letting his lips pop on the P to make a pronounced _puh_ sound. “February 14th.”

Hermann dropped the stack of papers back down onto his desk, gave Newt an awkward glance and worked his jaw. “Bugger.”

\---

It would be fine. It’s not like Valentine’s Day really meant anything to either of them. They were both unattached and had been for some time. And they certainly both had higher priorities than worrying over some greeting card industry cash grab. Or at least, that’s what Newt told himself as they boarded the plane. 

“It doesn’t have to be weird,” Newt had reasoned to Hermann earlier that day.

“I know it doesn’t,” Hermann had snapped defensively. “This is a professional endeavor, Newton. Nothing more.”

“Right… right.”

Newt rubbed his face in his hands. Professional. Sure, uh huh. He could do professional. He’s the top of his field, afterall. 

He threw his duffle bag into an overhead compartment and helped Hermann with his own as they took their seats.

It’s not like the goings on at the conference would be any different regardless of what day it was held. And besides, if the effects of climate change hadn’t run rampant back in January, the two of them would’ve been in the lab working away together on Valentine’s as they had in past years with no incident. So yeah. What’s the big deal? So what if Newt is spending the weekend away with the man he’s secretly harboured a small (read: raging) crush on for an embarrassing number of years? And so what if that weekend happened to be on Valentine’s Day? And so what if they were going to what is perhaps the most cliché romantic city in the world?

Newt sank into his seat and tried to will himself asleep despite the nerves churning in his stomach and his heart jumping every time Hermann’s elbow bumped his on the arm rest. 

Oh god.

A loud ding rang out, and a voice came over the PA system, waking Newt from his nap and rousing Hermann from his completely predictable Alan Turing biography.

“Good evening folks. This is your captain speaking. We’ll be starting our descent to Charles de Gaulle momentarily, so we ask that you remain seated with your safety belt secured for the remainder of the flight. As our flight crew makes their final rounds, we would like to leave you with a token of our appreciation and thank you for choosing Air France for your journey to the City of Light this Valentine’s weekend.”

Newt stretched and looked around. There weren’t many people on the plane. Between increasingly sporadic weather patterns and the occasional Pacific coastline kaiju attacks, international travel as a whole had taken a nose dive in popularity. But of those who did decide to check out La Ville-Lumière that weekend, they looked to all be couples. 

A flight attendant approached Hermann and Newt’s row, and handed a small red box to Hermann. “Make sure you share,” he said with a wink, then moved on to the next row. Hermann spluttered some malformed sentence about the two of them being colleagues, and decidedly not romantically involved, but the flight attendant was already long gone by the time he got the words out.

Newt leaned over to get a look at what had been given to them. It was a mini box of chocolates in the shape of a heart that said _Paris Is For Lovers_ in curly white letters across the front. Newt groaned and slumped back into his chair. The notion that the box of chocolates was a bad omen, a symbol, a metaphor for how their weekend was about to go flashed across his mind. At least he’d get some chocolate out of it though.

Almost on cue, Hermann deftly smuggled the candies away into his carry-on bag like he was a teen trying to hide a porno mag from his parents.

“Hey that’s for both of us!” Newt protested.

Hermann blushed almost imperceptibly, gave an awkward cough and shot Newt a side-eyed look. “I don’t see how they could be since it clearly states ‘for lovers’ on it.”

For lovers, huh? Newt rolled his eyes and turned away to look out the window, trying his best to seem apathetic and unaffected. He desperately hoped Hermann hadn’t noticed the blush creeping across his cheeks just from hearing Hermann say the word “lovers” in the remote vicinity of applying the term to them as a pair. Newt bounced his leg with nervous agitation and tried to put the thought out of his mind.

Yep. A bad omen indeed.


	2. And There Was Only One Bed

As their cab pulled up to the Paris Hotel & Convention Centre, Newt and Hermann saw large, flashy signs welcoming guests to the _12th Annual Bridal and Wedding Expo: A Weekend of Wedding Planning and Romance_ . Hermann blanched and scrambled for his phone, frantically checking the BEKS website to make sure they had the right location. Newt elbowed Hermann and pointed to a much smaller, makeshift sign taped to an A-frame board that read _Breakthroughs in Engineering & Kaiju Science Symposium 2024 _ with an arrow pointing towards the large double doors of the building.

Once inside the loud, bustling lobby, they were bombarded by a small woman with bright red lipstick and wide, youthful eyes. “Bienvenue!” she exclaimed, giving them each a mock kiss on the side of the cheek. She shoved a small, fragrant bouquet of flowers into Newt’s arms, then pressed the two of them together so they were smushed shoulder to shoulder. As soon as she stepped away, another woman behind a camera yelled “Souriez!” and immediately snapped a photo, the flash popping brightly, leaving Hermann and Newt in a daze before they could even register what was going on. By the time Newt’s eyes were taking in the world around him again, the two women had already picked up and moved on to greet other entering guests.

“What the hell was that?” Newt said, too puzzled to even realize he was still holding the flowers.

Hermann rubbed his eyes from the flash, and scrunched up his face in a way Newt pretended was not painfully endearing. 

“Indeed. I suppose they mistook us for a couple attending this...” he waved a free hand around, gesturing to the signs, balloons and flower arrangements adorning the lobby. “...this… this nonsense.”

“Wedding Expo, huh? I guess with the date of the BEKS conference getting pushed back, the hotel ended up double booked. Figures,” Newt mused, finally taking stock of the flowers he held. He nestled his face into them and breathed in deeply, letting their aroma fill his nose. When he looked back up, Hermann was shooting him some sort of choked half scowl that Newt immediately took offense to. “Jeez. What kind of face is that to pull?”

“I’m not pulling a face, thank you very much,” Hermann replied defensively. He sighed and let his expression relax. “Let’s just check in, shall we?”

They made their way over to the front desk, greeted by a smiling staff member with a rose bud pinned to their vest and a shock of pink hair. “Bonsoir, bienvenue and félicitations on your engagement!” They smiled at Newt and Hermann, eyes looking expectantly back and forth at the two. 

“Ahh, I’m sorry no. We are _not_ engaged,” Hermann corrected delicately, his face flushing lightly. “Actually, we are here for the BEKS Symposium. We have a reservation under Geiszler-Gottlieb.”

The desk attendant gave a confused look, then leaned forward, attempting to hear over the noisy commotion from other chattering guests and the occasional pop of a camera flash. “Pardon, the _sex symposium_?” they attempted to clarify. “You are here for the Bridal and Wedding Expo?”

At that, Hermann turned beet red (even though beets are more of a dark fuschia if you ask Newt), and Newt pretty much had an out of body experience as he watched the painfully awkward conversation play out in front of him.

“The.. the.. _sex_ ...?! Oh dear lord, no! NO! The BEKS Symposium! _BEKS_! The Breakthroughs in Engineering and Kaiju Science Symposium,” Hermann stammered in a horrified panic.

“Oh la la, what a shame. Perhaps next year, no?” the staff member laughed. Their eyes shifted past Hermann over to Newt, and they gave a coy wink as they typed in the reservation information. People sure were doing a lot of winking at them lately.

Mortified, Hermann snatched up the keycards while Newt’s soul managed to re-enter his physical form. They piled themselves into the elevator, and Hermann shot daggers from his eyes over to Newt who was already giggling.

“Do not speak a word,” Hermann threatened, the flush still pronounced on his face and neck.

Newt got the message. It didn’t matter anyway. He was too distracted replaying the hypothetical event in his head, reeling from the notion of Hermann Gottlieb, with his buttoned collar and better-than-thou accent, walking straight up to a hotel desk and telling the clerk he had reservations to a sex symposium. The thought was really doing a number on Newt, and yeah maybe he’d bookmark that particular fantasy to revisit another day.

Three other groups crowded into the elevator, catching it before the doors closed. They were obviously part of the wedding expo. If their flower bouquets that matched the one Newt carried weren’t a give away, the fact that they apparently held views on PDA that were enthusiastically opposite from Hermann’s did. The two couples had their arms wrapped around each other, and one pair was kissing. The third group were whispering in each other’s ears like a game of naughty telephone, and placing hands in places Newt and Hermann politely pretended not to notice. Newt thought it was all a lot of fun, but Hermann looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel in his forehead with how furiously he was concentrating on acting like nothing out of the ordinary was going on. 

Eventually all three parties made their respective exits, leaving Hermann and Newt alone. Hermann gave an exaggerated exhale as if he hadn’t breathed in the last 20 minutes. “For god's sake why does this hotel have to have so many blasted floors?”

“Oh, c’mon Hermann. So people are in a fun, flirty mood on Valentine’s weekend in Paris. What’s the big deal?” Newt talked big but all the love and lust in the air was making him hyper aware of the object of his own affections. He figured he’d do best to try to act natural and give Hermann a good natured ribbing to squelch any bright ideas his heart might try to inject into his head. He gave what he hoped was a convincingly nonchalant chuckle and clapped Hermann on the back. “Unclench a little, my man.”

Hermann grumbled, but the elevator doors dinged open before he was able to reply, so instead he busied himself with moving down the hall and finding their room. Newt followed behind, carrying both their bags like it was as natural as earth’s gravitational pull, and he actually bumped into the back of Hermann who had unlocked the door, and then just… stood there.

“Dude, what are you doing? Is there a motion-sensing T-rex in our room, or can you get out of the way so I can put down our stuff already?” Newt said, pushing past Hermann and worming his way into the room. And then he stopped in his tracks as well.

The room was huge and looked downright expensive. It had artistic modern decor with simple red accents and a ton of soft lighting. A giant floor to ceiling window overlooked the city, where the lights from buildings dotted the dark night here and there off into the horizon, giving way to clouds and stars.

“Holy SHIT!” Newt yelled, dropping the flowers and bags in the entryway, and practically scampering over to the window to press his face against it. “Hermann, look at this view! This is bonkers!” 

Hermann was still standing in the doorway. Bonkers was not quite the word he would’ve chosen, but he was nonetheless beside himself with the splendor of the accommodations as well.

Newt didn’t waste any time and was already on to the next thing, making a ruckus all the while. “And the bathroom! Hermann, come over here! There’s one of those pretentious rainfall showers! And a what the fuck, a square toilet?! Oh my god, there’s a goddamn jacuzzi you have to see to believe!”

Hermann got his legs working under himself and made his way over to the bathroom where Newt was bouncing around from one feature to the next like a pinball that learned how to talk. The bathroom was weirdly not separated from the bedroom area with a door, but rather had a partition made of thick, wavy glass. And sure enough, there was a square toilet.

“Well that’s rather odd,” Hermann mused over the commode. “What in the- oh Newton get out of there at once.” 

Hermann had looked over to see Newt laying in the empty jacuzzi, feet up and arms draped around one of the sides. He was beaming like an idiot.

“Dude, this is hilarious. Look at the shape of this thing,” Newt said, gesturing to the tub around him. It was a heart with a red porcelain outline. “Is this room some kind of honeymoon suite? I feel like they gave this to us by accident.”

Newt pulled himself out of the jacuzzi and kept his mouth running. “I can’t even believe how funny this is. Like, who does this kind of manufactured romantic setting even work on?” he laughed. 

Okay, so the nature of the room was not lost on him. And who _did_ cliché romantic settings work on? He figured if he kept mocking it and playing it down, he could cover up the fact that they worked just fine on _him_. The last thing he needed was for Hermann to catch wise that the fancy, posh room was genuinely making him feel kind of heart-poundingly flirty. He didn’t want to let himself get wrapped up in the mood, for fear of upsetting the friendship he and Hermann had developed over the years. But it was fine. Just an objectively awesome bedroom and a funky bathroom to match. He’d just ignore the heart-shaped tub and romantic lighting for the rest of the weekend. Easy.

Or... maybe not.

The two of them exited the spacious bathroom and rounded the glass partition back to the bedroom. “Oh.” Newt said, putting an abrupt end to his prattling on about how corporations tried to commercialize love.

“Oh my god,” Hermann muttered with dread and put his head in his hands.

They had finally looked at the sleeping arrangements.

All the blood rushed to Newt’s face in surprise and embarrassment. He assumed they had reserved a modest room with two queens, as they typically did when travelling together for work purposes. And sure, Newt knew sometimes room mixups could happen, like it was not out of the realm of possibility. But this went far beyond any good ol’ there’s-only-one-bed shenanigans that Newt could maybe have somehow dealt with. No, as if it wasn’t going to be awkward enough to sleep in the same bed with the unrequited man of his equally unrequited dreams, this bed had to be freaking HEART SHAPED.

Somehow in their awe over the rest of the room, they had both overlooked the bed until that very moment. Like the jacuzzi, it was a heart big enough to accommodate two, though with a more subtle and tasteful design. It had rounded edges with a soft, white duvet that draped over the sides and gathered puffily along the floor. A mountain of down-filled pillows rested against the wooden headboard.

Newt gulped audibly, and Hermann kept clutching at his head.

Eventually Newt found words. “Uh.. Hermann? You reserved two queens and not a heart-shaped bed right?”

That shot Hermann out of his stupor. He snapped his head up and started waving his arms wildly. “Are you kidding me? Of course I did not reserve us a heart-shaped bed! I didn’t even know this.. this.. _monstrosity_ even existed in real life!”

Newt couldn’t help himself. “So if you _did_ know it existed, you _would’ve_ reserved it?” he chided, raising an eyebrow. Could you imagine?

Hermann went back to blushing, which seemed to be his perpetual state so far that evening. Yeah, not a beet red though. Newt thought maybe he was more of a tomato red? Either way, it wasn’t doing either of them any good just standing there looking at the thing.

“Okay, okay. Look, I’ll call down to the desk. This is a total mixup, and we’ll get it all sorted out pronto,” Newt offered and picked up the in-room phone.

Hermann leaned awkwardly against a desk and waited, refusing to sit on any furniture in the room as if doing so would commit them to it.

“Uh huh. Uh huh. Yeah, two queens. Oh really? Crap. Oh no, you don’t have to- ah okay. Thanks. Yeah bye.” 

Newt hung up the phone and Hermann stood to attention, eagerly searching Newt’s face. “Well? What did they have to say?”

“Soooo…. It was definitely a mistake, but at this time of night they can’t change the room. They said we won’t be charged extra, and on top of that they’ve given us vouchers for room service for tonight,” Newt said almost apologetically, like it was somehow his fault they were in this predicament.

“Ahhhh,” Hermann sighed, practically wilting. He pulled out the desk chair he’d been standing next to and let himself plop down in resignment. “I suppose that’s understandable. And very generous of the staff here.”

“It really is,” Newt called from the entryway. He had gone over to shut the door and bring their bags over to the main part of the room. “Honestly, I’m actually starving. I could go for a burger.” 

He grabbed the room service menu that was lying on an end table, and threw himself onto the bed, arms and legs out like some kind of boot-wearing starfish. 

“Oh for god’s sake, Newton,” Hermann said, looking away. He had mostly returned to his usual pasty complexion, but a small hint of blush remained in the tips of his ears. “We come all this way to the home of such wonderful cuisine, and you want a hamburger. Well, I will have the coq au vin.”

Newt put the order into his phone, then propped himself up on the bed and looked over at Hermann, who was smiling out of the corner of his mouth. This was such a stupid, ridiculous situation, maybe they really could just laugh through it after all. Hermann turned to fully face him and Newt smiled back. Before they knew it, they were both laughing, the awkwardness over the evening’s mishaps forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is loosely based off two real life experiences. One is an anime con I went to that was double booked with a couples (therapy?) retreat. The other is the upgraded hotel room my partner and I were accidentally put in when we visited the Dominican Republic. The jacuzzi and bed weren't hearts, but there was a square toilet!
> 
> Aside from those very important tidbits, I would like to say thank you to everyone who's read this, left kudos and written comments. I almost never write and it's wow such a big impact to get this kind of positivity. It just, I can't even say what it means to me. Thank you.
> 
> (also, if you follow me on twitter... shout out to the SEKS con)


	3. Santé

It really was funny, right? Like, hilariously so. A real knee slapper this series of events was. They’d probably look back on this weekend and laugh for years to come (if the Kaiju don’t completely destroy humanity, of course). But Newt supposed a hotel mixup truly was not the weirdest thing they’d seen in the past however many years they’d been friends. Er, colleagues. You get the idea. They’ve seen literal monsters rise from the sea, and then the next day had chunks of said monsters sitting in their lab waiting to be sliced open. So compared to that, an embarrassingly shaped bed is hardly anything to bat an eye at. 

And really, the point is that they’ve gone through all kinds of stuff  _ together _ . Hermann and Newt, they’re such a hoot. Yeah, Newt was head-over-heels crazy for the stuffy, number-loving geek, but could you blame him? Hermann was the whole package! Handsome as heck with a brain to match! Oh man, don’t even get Newt started on Hermann’s eyes. And his stupid haircut, ugh. He really couldn’t get enough of the weirdo. And Newt had him all to himself on most days. So why should this weekend feel any different? Yeah, yeah, so he was fighting the urge to flirt beyond the limit of plausible deniability, but what of it? He could reign it in. Things with Hermann were…  _ comfortable _ . More so than with anyone else. And he was sure that at least in that regard, Hermann felt the same way. 

The sounds of the shower pulled Newt from his musings. Speaking of comfortable, Hermann obviously felt at ease enough with Newt to get in a quick wash before their dinner arrived. 

Newt was doing his best to give his colleague some privacy, but it was difficult not to catch a few distorted, wavy glimpses of Hermann’s naked body beyond the glass divider. Harmless, of course, since you really couldn’t see much of anything anyway.

“Ahhh,” Hermann sighed contentedly from the other room.

Newt’s eyes snapped back to the partition, and butterflies fluttered in his stomach. Naked wavy Hermann must really be enjoying the hot shower. Newt figured he deserved it after all the stress from travelling and checking in. Another soft moan wafted out of the bathroom. After years of military accomodations in the Shatterdome, Hermann was probably really digging that fancy rainfall shower head. And the steamy water was probably rolling slowly down his back, soap suds dripping down his body as he cleaned himself and soothed his weary muscles, and-

“Whoa there, dude,” Newt whispered to himself. He was full on entering daydream fantasy land, not to mention boring holes into the glass partition with his eyes in an attempt to make out wavy Hermann’s shape. He tore his eyes away, and instead stared down at his shoes with monk-like focus. “Jeez, just chill.”

A knock at the door broke him of his fascination with his own boots, and he got up to get it. “Hey Herms, I think the food’s here,” he called out. He heard the shower turn off.

A blonde man greeted Newt at the door and wheeled in a cart with two covered trays and a variety of dining accessories. He made his way over to the small, round dining table next to the large window that overlooked the city and began setting up the meals. Newt had protectively stepped in front of the glass bathroom partition so that Mr. Blondy couldn’t sneak a peak at Hermann while he was vulnerable.

“Newton, I see our food has arrived,” Hermann said from directly behind him.

Newt whipped around and was almost nose to nose with Hermann, who had gotten out of the shower and was trying to look past Newt to check on their meals. Newt’s eyes wandered down to find that Hermann was wrapped up in one of the hotel’s fluffy white bathrobes. 

“Aren’t you.. uh.. going to put some clothes on?” Newt gulped. He tried to ask quietly, but was having a hard time controlling the volume of his voice.

Hermann gave him a flat look. “I didn’t bring any into the bathroom with me, but luckily there were some robes handy. Now, how do our meals look?”

They both turned to find that Mr. Blondy had set up quite a table for them. In addition to their platters, he had set out two champagne flutes, a slender vase with a single rose, and a long candle that he was in the process of lighting. All of this was atop a soft, linen tablecloth. It was incredibly intimate. Next, he dug around in the compartment under his cart and produced a bottle of chilled champagne. “Courtesy of the house,” he said with a smile.

Both Hermann and Newt returned slack-jawed stares before stammering their thanks.

The man chuckled. “Bon appétit,” he said kindly, and wheeled his cart out of the room.

“Oh my, this is-” Hermann said, words trailing away. 

“Super romantic?” Newt offered with a blush.

Hermann cinched his robe even though it didn’t need more cinching, and fiddled with the plush belt a bit. “Ahh, I suppose that’s a way to put it.”

“Well, we should enjoy it anyway right?” Newt appealed. “Um... even if the effort is sort of wasted on us.” It came out as more of a question. 

“Of course we should enjoy it,” Hermann responded matter-of-factly. He proceeded to seat himself at the little table as if it was only natural he attend a private, candle-lit Parisian dinner in his bathrobe while accompanied by his lab partner. He lifted the lid of the platter in front of him, saw a hamburger and fries, and wordlessly got up and swapped seats. Again, natural as ever.

This really was a sight, and Newt couldn’t help but laugh. Hermann broke and giggled to himself as well, the edges of his eyes crinkling in a way that Newt was very fond of.

He took the seat opposite Hermann and picked up a fry. “See? I’m having an appropriate meal. French fries, non?” he joked. Hermann gave him a playful grimace of disapproval and kicked him under the table. 

At that, Newt popped the fry into his mouth, then reached for the champagne bottle. “Okay just a warning, I’m not good at this so look out,” Newt cautioned, peeling off the foil and untwisting the cork cage. He scooted away from the table and aimed the bottle into the room. “Blast off in three, two, one… urghh one… Why the frick isn’t it- ACK!”

After some struggle, the cork flew off towards the bed, champagne fizzing and spilling out onto Newt’s lap. “Oh shit!”

Hermann, mid-bite of his chicken, took all this in while Newt frantically sopped up champagne from his jeans with a napkin. Then he began laughing. Hysterically. 

Newt sat back down and managed to pour them both a glass. “Look I warned you!” He yelled, with a smile. Hermann was still in a fit of laughter. 

“Yes, thank you Newton. You certainly did,” Hermann said once he’d calmed down enough to form words. He wiped tears from his eyes, then raised his glass of champagne. “A toast. To the only man I’d ever be caught dead in this situation with.”

Newt laughed and raised his own glass. “To the best bathrobed-dinner-mate I could ever ask for.”

They clinked their glasses together and happily continued their meal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was just a cute scene where the two of them could feel comfortable with each other and be a little silly. And of course, more surprise romance thrust upon them. But they're making the most of it!
> 
> Okay, so... this fic was supposed to be a quick idea. 4 chapters total that I would finish this weekend. But since I write so freaking slow, that's obviously not going to happen. I mean, they have a full day of conference ahead of them, and they haven't even gotten in the damn bed yet! Chapters 2, 3 and 4 were originally slated to be one chapter, but c'est la vie, amirite? So idk maybe this thing will be wrapped up a couple weekends from now? Nous verrons!
> 
> As before, HUGE thank you to all of you who have read, left kudos, and commented. Sorry I haven't gone through and replied yet (I will!), but I have re-read your kind words like a dozen times. So thank you.


	4. Bert and Ernie

And eventually it was time for bed.

Hermann had changed into a blue striped pajama set that made Newt wonder if there was a matching sleeping cap that came with it. It kind of reminded him of something Bert from Sesame Street would wear. Newt wondered if that made him Ernie. That weirdly made too much sense. He looked down at his own attire, and yeah, he was pretty sure Ernie didn’t wear this in the show. Just a white tank and threadbare boxers. It was not the most appropriate for the situation, but when he’d packed he had assumed he’d be in the comfort of his own separate, normal shaped bed. The two of them stood next to each other, both evaluating their sleeping arrangements as if it was one of their science experiments that required strict analysis. Bert and Ernie never had this kind of problem.

“This is stupid, dude. It’s just a bed,” Newt relented.

“I know that,” Hermann retorted.

“Then let’s stop psyching ourselves out and just get in.”

“But… it’s a _heart_ ,” Hermann said, like the bed was an affront to god.

“Oh my god. I cannot believe _I’m_ the one being pragmatic about this. Screw this. I’m getting in.”

At that Newt went to the side nearest him, pulled back the covers and slipped inside. “See? Nothing to be afraid of.”

Hermann apprehensively followed suit. “I suppose you’re right.” 

See? Newt was right, it was totally fine. Well, except for the fact that because of the shape, the longest part of the bed was in the very middle. So of course that meant the two had to scoot closer to each other in order to prevent their feet from dangling off the edge.

Newt shifted around and tried his best not to rub up on Hermann in the process. “Ugh, you’d think if they were going to make a bed like this it’d at least be long enough for two adults to sleep in. It’s like I’d have to be practically on top of you for both of us to fit right,” Newt complained. He didn’t catch the gravity of his words until he heard Hermann make an awkward spluttering sound from his side of the bed. “Oh shit I mean, not that.. Ughhh you know what I’m saying.”

“Yes, I do know what you mean, Newton,” Hermann said, obviously embarrassed. “But maybe we should refrain from discussing it any further and just go to sleep instead. Can you reach the light?”

Newt glanced around and spotted the small wall-mounted lamp centered above the headboard. “Yeah I got it.” He propped himself up on one arm and stretched across with the other to click the light off, not quite able to reach. “Sorry Herms, I think I gotta scoot in more. It’s just a little far and…” 

His words trailed off as he looked down at Hermann. In his efforts to reach the light, Newt had leaned forward over him so much that he was almost on top of him, his chest just above Hermann’s face. Hermann’s mouth was a thin line, and his large brown eyes stared up at Newt as if waiting for whatever was going to happen next. Newt could get lost in those eyes. If this was some kind of extremely vivid lucid dream, Newt would lean down and kiss Hermann then and there. He was so beautiful in the soft light of the overhead lamp, and the way he gazed up at Newt was making Newt’s head spin. 

The moment passed and Hermann furrowed his brows and made a disapproving grunt. “Newton, will you hurry it up so we can go to sleep?”

Yep this was definitely reality and not a dream. Although, as Newt snapped off the light and laid back down, he figured he’d be equally as happy with giving in and kissing crabby non-dream Hermann as well. He closed his eyes and tried to convince himself to sleep, hoping that unconsciousness would shake the thought of making a move on Hermann from his mind.

At some point he became vaguely aware that Hermann was not yet sleeping, but instead was fidgeting around next to him.

“Uh dude? What are you doing?” he whispered tentatively.

Hermann shifted some more. “I think I’m laying on something. It keeps jabbing me, but I can’t find it.” He replied quietly, patting around underneath the blankets. 

Apparently he was dissatisfied with searching his side of the bed and began lightly feeling closer to Newt. His gentle, slender fingers brushed against Newt’s side where his shirt had ridden up a bit. The feeling of Hermann’s touch on his skin sent a shiver down his spine and made his stomach flutter. Hermann’s hands were cold, but the feeling made Newt secretly wish he’d do it again.

“Ah, apologies, Newton,” Hermann whispered, quickly pulling his hand away. “I was just trying to find whatever it is I’m laying on.”

“Heh it’s alright. I don’t bite,” Newt joked passively, trying for nonchalance. “Here, I can help you look.”

Newt rolled over onto his side facing Hermann and slid a hand just barely under Hermann’s side, taking care not to be too invading. “Oh,” Hermann gasped quietly in surprise.

He felt something wrapped up in part of Hermann’s night shirt. “I think I found it. Hold still,” he whispered, and lifted the bottom of his shirt. Whatever it was was sort of round and must’ve made its way up Hermann’s shirt further when Newt moved it. “Crap it moved, but I can get it.” 

When Newt slid his hand up into the back of Hermann’s shirt, he heard a strangled squeak come from the man and felt his muscles tighten. “Sorry, I’ve almost got it, I swear.” 

“Will you.. pffft.. hurry it up, Newton? I.. hhahh..” Hermann struggled to say without raising his voice to a normal speaking level in the quiet room. “I’m actually.. hhhh.. quite ticklish..” 

Newt paused and felt a blush travel rapidly across his face as he absorbed this new information. Hermann was ticklish? Hermann was reacting to Newt’s touch? Hermann was letting Newt feel his soft, sensitive skin, exposing his vulnerability to Newt while gently holding back giggles?! Exactly HOW was Newt supposed to be able to function with this freshly acquired knowledge when he had his hand half way up the back of Hermann’s shirt as they quietly lay together in the dark in a bed they both understood was meant for couples??! The top of Newt’s head felt like it was going to burst right off.

“Did.. did you get it Newton?” Hermann whispered questioningly after Newt hadn’t moved for a while.

Newt snapped back to reality. “Oh, ah, sorry! Yeah!” he said entirely too loudly for the middle of the night. He grabbed at whatever it was before it could roll away again, and softened his tone. “Got it.”

Once Newt was free of Hermann’s pajama shirt, Hermann rolled over onto his side to face Newt. “Well? What was it?” he asked.

It was too dark to show him, but Newt could tell by touch what it was. “Okay, don’t be mad,” he warned. At that, he could practically feel the annoyed look Hermann was likely giving him in the dark. “You know how I popped open that champagne bottle earlier and the cork went flying?”

“Oh for crying out loud, Newton,” Hermann said in a huff and flopped over onto his other side.

“Sorry!” Newt whispered to Hermann’s back. 

He didn’t get a response, and eventually he heard Hermann’s breathing even out into slow, steady breaths. He could see the silhouette of Hermann’s body gently rise and fall against the night lights of the city through the window across the room. Newt was enamoured with the outline of Hermann’s broad shoulders and slender hips, even draped with blankets. It would be so easy to slip an arm around his waist and snuggle against him, breathe in his freshly washed hair and gently kiss the nape of his neck. But Newt knew that was just the romantic setting talking. He wondered if Ernie ever had to deal with a similar situation. Guess not. In his mind he replayed the sensation of touching Hermann’s ticklish skin and the sound of his muffled giggles. He wanted to burn them into his memory so he could keep them forever. With his mind looping over the night’s events, Newt’s eyes grew heavier and heavier, and soon he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short, self indulgent chapter bc why not. I feel like I could've gone a lot harder on the "gasp they're sharing a bed" situation, but I think in the end a couple small, innocent (heart-racing) interactions is better. Just enough to remind Newt how bad he's got it for Hermann. ;)
> 
> Again, thank you for reading, and thank you if you've left feedback. <3 I'm notorious for like.. not finishing multi chapter fics in a reasonable amount of time, but just knowing people are actually reading this makes me want to keep at it. Next chapter is going to be Hermann's POV, which I'm looking forward to, and I hope you are as well!


	5. Not Just Any Someone

Hermann woke up with a start fearing he’d slept in, but the city was still dark beyond the magnificent skyline window, and the clock read 3:35. It was the middle of the night, and he was in Paris, not Hong Kong. He let himself relax and settle back into the comfort of the downy hotel bed and the warmth of Newt’s arms.

Wait. The WHAT?

Hermann’s eyes shot open in surprise. Sure enough, Newt had at some point in the night rolled over to loosely spoon him and drape a heavy, tattooed arm around his waist, his hand resting gently against Hermann’s chest. Hermann felt a rush of adrenaline flood through his body as his mind attempted to wrap itself around the situation. He wondered if the fact that his heart was suddenly beating a million miles an hour would wake Newt. 

This was highly inappropriate, wasn’t it? He should really push him aside to give them both their personal space back, shouldn’t he? That would surely be the right thing to do. But on the other hand, who was he to interrupt Newt’s sleep when they both had such a big day ahead of them. And of course the jetlag was probably so bad Newt didn’t even realize he had rolled over towards Hermann, so you really couldn’t blame him, right? And also, if Hermann was going to be entirely honest with himself (which he decidedly did not want to do), it was.. Oh boy was he actually going to admit this? It was maddeningly comforting to be so close, so intimate with someone.

And not just any someone. Newton.

Yes he had a bad habit of not knowing when to be quiet, and yes he was at times immature and borderline obnoxious. Statistically speaking, 58% of the time he drove Hermann crazy. But he was also brilliant in a way that Hermann respected. He was driven and sincere, and somehow never let the struggles they faced in their work get to him. It was quite admirable. And even beyond their work he was genuinely good to Hermann. More than just a colleague, he was a friend. Maybe even a companion in some ways? He certainly had a way of making Hermann laugh, even at the most inappropriate times. There was something infectious about Newt’s bright smile. Or was it his eyes? Hermann was actually quite fond of his eyes. Or perhaps it was the lively way he gestured about with his strong, colorful arms, or-

Oh, right. What was Hermann thinking?? The topic of Newt’s arms brought him out of the accidental daydream he found himself traipsing down while mentally extolling the man’s favorable qualities, and back to reality where one of those colorful arms was currently curled around his torso. Hermann was still unsure of the best course of action, so he tested the waters by whispering Newt’s name in a half-hearted attempt to wake him. 

No movement came from his lab partner except the rise and fall of his chest against Hermann’s back, and the little puffs of air that landed at the base of Hermann’s neck when he exhaled. Newt was sound asleep.

Hermann didn’t have the heart to rouse him from what must surely be a restful sleep. At least, that’s what he told himself as he gingerly relaxed back into Newt’s warm embrace and started to drift away himself. But maybe just before fully falling back into his own tranquil slumber, he entertained the idea that perhaps he’d been secretly longing for this kind of intimacy with Newt for some time.

Yes, it was maddeningly comforting.

\---

Hermann woke again, but this time more gradually. Light had started to pool into the room in gray tones, indicating that sunrise would soon be on its way. His eyes fluttered, and the first vision he was greeted with was Newt’s face, mere inches from his own. Apparently Newt was already awake, and what, had he been watching Hermann sleep? Once Newt realized Hermann was waking up, he got awfully cagey. Hermann squinted at him suspiciously.

“Newton. Have you been staring at me?” he challenged groggily.

“What? Pfft no. I just woke up.” More caginess. “Anyway, uh how’d you sleep Hermann? 

Hermann recalled the way Newt had wrapped his arm around him. Had it been on purpose? Or was it done unconsciously? Did he know Hermann had woken up and then self indulgently went back to sleep nestling into Newt’s warmth? Was this some kind of test??

“Um, I slept adequately,” Hermann muttered, looking anywhere but at Newt since the two of them were still laying face to face. Now he was the one being cagey.

“Really? ‘Cause I feel like I got the best sleep I’ve had in months. Maybe years! I was just so, I don’t even know. At ease?” Newt said innocently. “It must be this bed. Who cares what it looks like when it’s this comfortable? It could be shaped like a literal piece of shit and I’d happily take it.”

“The bed. Right,” Hermann replied, finally looking back at Newt. He tried not to sound disappointed. He searched Newt’s face for any sign of subtext about the night before, but found none. Apparently Newt really didn’t know they had more or less... cuddled. It was for the best. Hermann didn’t know what he would do if he had to confront his actions from that night in the sobering light of day. But there was a tiny, foolish part of him that had wanted Newt to know. Had wanted it to be an unspoken secret shared between them. Had maybe, possibly, perhaps wanted Newt to want _him_. Ugh, he was really making way more out of this than he should.

“Uh, hey. Also, sorry about last night,” Newt said.

Hermann’s heart jumped into his throat. Did this mean Newt did know?

Newt licked his bottom lip, a habit Hermann knew he did whenever he was searching for the right words. “I really wasn’t trying to like, tickle you or anything weird like that. Sorry if I made things awkward before we went to sleep.” He looked at Hermann apologetically and a bit embarrassed.

“Oh, ah I see,” Hermann said in understanding. He had almost forgotten about that in the wake of the other goings on in the night. A recollection of the sensation of Newt’s hand moving against the skin of his lower back and how it sent electric shivers up and down his spine flashed through his mind. He felt a twinge of heat rise in his cheeks. “No, no. I didn’t mind at all.”

“You didn’t?” Newt asked in surprise and curiosity.

Hermann definitely did not mind Newt’s touch. In fact, as much as he willed himself not to, he was finding that he craved it. But good lord he was not about to let on about it.

“What? No, I mean.. I mean I didn’t mind you helping me get that blasted cork from my shirt.”

“Oh.”

Was it his imagination, or did Newt just deflate a little bit? Well, no matter. The smart thing to do would be to shove all these superfluous feelings and emotions and desires aside in any way possible, then carry on with life as usual.

“Regardless, it’s time we got up. We have such an important day ahead of us. And besides, I think I’ve had about enough of your morning breath for one day, Newton,” Hermann said matter-of-factly. He threw in an eye-roll for good measure.

Newt clapped both his hands over his mouth in a comical way that Hermann tried to convince himself wasn’t frustratingly cute. His green eyes peeked out back at Hermann.

“Oh shit, I didn’t even realize. Sorry dude,” Newt said, voice muffled by his hands. With that he haphazardly kicked off his share of the blankets, rolled out and bee-lined for the bathroom, leaving Hermann in the heart-shaped bed alone with his thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I've broken up what was supposed to be one chapter into two, not because there's more content, but because I write in such bite-sized chunks. Originally, this entire story was intended to be a 4 chapter adventure in awkwardness, but is now 9 (including an epilogue I cannot wait to get to). Hope yall don't mind, thank you for being patient.
> 
> Well, these two oblivious nerds made it through a night together, and Hermann is experiencing feelings he can't completely repress. So that's fun, right? Next time he'll have a lovely conversation with some colleagues, and I swear to god I'm going to somehow work in the phrase "heart-eyes Geiszler". So stay tuned.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading. For those of you who comment frequently, special thanks and sorry to spam your inboxes with mass replies the other day. I just really appreciate all your comments and enjoy chatting with you!


	6. Continental Breakfast

With Newt out of the room (and more specifically, out of their bed), Hermann rolled over onto his back and exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. He let his arms flop to either side so he was laying splayed out like some kind of lanky, pajama-wearing starfish. He had really been a right tart this entire trip, hadn’t he? To the point where he was beginning to feel embarrassed of himself. What was all that traipsing around in a bathrobe in front of Newt the night before, and snuggling up against him while they slept? How could he have let himself become such a flirt? And on a business trip, no less!

Newt whistled some poppy melody from the bathroom and Hermann heard the shower turn on.

At least Newt seemed completely oblivious to Hermann's scandalous behaviors. Good. Hermann really couldn’t have his own ~~repressed~~ superfluous feelings cropping up and god forbid ~~ruin their friendship~~ get in the way of the important work they were to show later in the day. After all, that was the whole point of this trip. Their work. They weren’t in Paris sharing a bed for the purpose of making Hermann painfully aware of how touch starved he’d been, or to force him to confront his genuine feelings for Newt. 

He put both hands on his face and exhaled again.

His genuine, _romantic_ feelings for Newt.

He sat up with a snap and decided he was done thinking about all of this, and that it was time to get dressed. He carefully, but quickly got out of the bed, leaning against the night stand, and opened the nearby dresser drawer where he had put away his clothes. Newt had made fun of him for doing it on a trip that was to last two nights in total. He pulled on his trousers, buttoned his shirt and grabbed his cane.

“Newton, I’m headed down to retrieve us some breakfast,” he called out to the general vicinity of the bathroom. There was no reply, just more whistling and shower noises. Hermann neared the glass partition and could see Newt’s colorful shape in the shower, bopping around.

“Newton, did you hear me? I’ll be back in a minute,” he tried louder. Again, no answer. Typical. How was Newt this maddening first thing in the morning?

Hermann dared to peek around the partition into the bathroom, attempting to call out to Newt more clearly and let him know he was heading out. When he did, Newt was also peeking out of the glass shower. They met each other’s wide eyes in an awkward deer-in-the-headlights moment of surprise until Hermann’s gaze drifted down, then back up, then down again.

“Oh my god Hermann! Why are you coming in here?! Dude I’m in the shower!” Newt spluttered, waving his arms around with frantic embarrassment, but not realizing that maybe he should try to cover himself if it was such a problem to be seen naked.

A fierce blush flashed across Hermann’s face, and his heart thudded against his chest. He threw a hand over both eyes in an almost comical fashion, but remained in the doorway. 

“I’m- I’m dreadfully sorry, Newton! I did not mean to intrude, I swear it! Rather, I just wanted to let you know I was going to get some breakfast from downstairs and that I’d be back soon.” Hermann squeezed his eyes closed behind his hand, as if the added layer of protection would make Newt any less wet or any less nude.

“Breakfast! Right! Yeah okay no biggie!” Newt said haphazardly, and a bit too loudly.

Hermann was about to make his mortified escape when Newt continued.

“Uh hey, actually, since you’re already here, would you um mind handing me that towel on the counter? I’m so absent minded and left it across the room ha ha ha ha. Oops my bad.”

Hermann peeked through his fingers over at the sink near the door and saw a towel laying on the counter. He ventured a quick glance over at Newt, who was still leaning partly out the shower as if staying behind the glass was doing him any favors. He was blushing too, Hermann noticed. And still naked. Definitely still naked.

“Ah, sure. Yes of course, Newton,” Hermann replied, shuffling into the bathroom with his cane in one hand and gingerly peeking through the other. He snatched up the towel and brought it over to Newt, who had since turned the shower off. Hermann outstretched his arm to hand it to him, as if getting any closer would mean certain doom. He kept his eyes screwed closed the entire time, not daring to look, lest he do something foolish and rash. “There you are now.”

Newt gave a small, disappointed sigh, but without seeing his face, Hermann could not entirely decipher what it meant. 

“Yeah thanks, Hermann,” Newt said, taking the towel from him. He sounded weirdly nervous, and when he took the towel, he let his hand brush over Hermann’s in a way that did not seem entirely accidental.

“Oh,” Hermann said involuntarily. He felt like his heart was going to fly out of his rib cage, but he did his best not to let on.

The two stood there in silence, unmoving for a moment that felt like forever, until at last Hermann said, “Well, I best be off now!” and hastily made his way out of the bathroom, then practically bolted out of the bedroom altogether.

Out in the safety of the hallway, Hermann completely lost all composure, and cursed himself for being so idiotic. “Bloody fucking fuck! What kind of cock up was that?! Fuck!!”

He exhaled a few heated breaths, then straightened himself up and set his face to a stoic, emotionless neutrality. With that, he headed to the elevator as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

\---

Down in the dining area, the hotel had prepared an open breakfast bar, which was fortunately not too busy during such an early hour. There were a few couples roaming around, but to Hermann’s relief, also some people who were decidedly not there for the bridal festivities. He even spotted a small group of engineers he had met once in Sydney. One of them glanced his way and waved him over.

“Ah, Dr. Gottlieb! What a pleasure seeing you here,” she said with a friendly smile.

“Dr. Lila Nguyen, good to see again,” Hermann replied amicably with a nod. “And Dr. Swan, you as well. I’ve been following your research on robotic propulsion. Fascinating work.” 

“Please, Gottlieb. You know you can call me Oliver,” Dr. Swan laughed.

Lila elbowed her colleague playfully. “I for one always appreciate the sense of propriety,” she countered.

The third member of their party smiled along politely. “Well, you’ll have no choice but to address me less formally, since I don’t have a doctorate of my own,” he joked, outstretching a hand to greet Hermann. “I’m Willow Elliott, head officer of cyber security in Sydney. It’s an honor to meet you, Dr. Gottlieb.” 

“Elliot? I do believe I’m familiar with your work,” Hermann said, face lighting up as he shook the other man’s hand. “Yes, you and Dr. Nguyen developed some stellar hypotheses on attack vectors within the makeup of the Breach, likening the anomaly to a digital virus. The honor is truly all mine.”

The group chatted for a bit, and discussed some of the topics they were bringing to the symposium while they made their way down the buffet line, filling their plates, then heading over to a table.

“Gottlieb, you should join us for breakfast. We’ve got so much to talk about since we saw you last,” Oliver invited.

“Ah, as much as I would enjoy that, I should really be getting back to my room,” Hermann declined, gesturing with his overly full plate of fruit and muffins. 

Lila and Oliver exchanged a glance, and a subtle smile sneaked across Lila’s face. “By any chance, are you here with Newt? I heard the two of you were speaking jointly at the symposium. I would absolutely love to catch up with him.”

“Why, yes. He’s actually up in the room getting ready now. I’ll be sure to let him know.” Hermann was beginning to feel a bit too _seen_ for his liking. He had had enough socializing and was ready to get back to the privacy of his room.

“Oh, oh!” Willow said, realization dawning across his face. “You two are _together_? That actually makes a lot of sense!”

“Shh,” Lila tried to subtly warn, kicking Willow under the table.

“Ow, what? Jeez. Not that there’s anything wrong with that,” Willow said defensively, though clearly realizing he had overstepped.

Meanwhile, Hermann was fighting off another wave of blushing at the insinuation. “No, no it’s quite alright. In truth, we are not together in that way. Simply close colleagues.” He tried to sound as unaffected as possible, but deep down knew he was losing that battle too.

Oliver laughed and clapped Willow on the back. “No worries, mate. It’s an easy mistake, especially if you’ve ever met heart-eyes-Geiszler. Back during their stay with our team, he was always looking longingly across the lab at Gottlieb here. You’d really think they would’ve coupled up by now, but guess not. Fair bit one-sided I reckon,” Oliver said nonchalantly as if this whole conversation wasn’t taking 20 years off Hermann’s life with stress.

“Ah, Dr. Gottlieb, please don’t mind them,” Lila said apologetically. She gave Oliver a disapproving glare before turning back to Hermann. “They’re such gossips sometimes. Really though, do tell Newt to come say hello during the event, okay?”

Thankful for finally getting an out, Hermann forced out a smile that probably came off as more of a wince, said his farewells and headed back to the elevators.

On his way, he passed a booth selling photos that were taken of couples the previous night. He figured it was just a way of nickel and diming people, and he was about to sail on past when he realized he and Newt were probably on that wall of photos somewhere. Oh god, he couldn’t have others in his field seeing that! It didn’t take him long to spot the one he was looking for, and he promptly purchased it so that he could hide it away safely.

In the elevator, Hermann tried not to dwell on Oliver’s words from earlier. What did he mean when he said Newt looked at him longingly? He’d never seen anything of the sort. And that there was some one-sided emotion on Newt’s part? Right, like happy-go-lucky, self-proclaimed rockstar/genius Newton Geiszler was really suffering unrequited feelings for Hermann. How laughable. But hearing someone even make that kind of claim made Hermann’s heart leap and his stomach flip flop. He felt a little giddy, which he did not like at all because No. There was no way he was going to let himself get any hopes up about this.

The elevator ride was annoyingly long. Instead of spending the time watching the floors slowly tick by, Hermann glanced down at the 8 by 10 photo he had purchased. It was him and Newt, shoulders smushed together and Newt holding a small bouquet of flowers. Hermann was making a flabbergasted face of confusion, and one eye was slightly more closed than the other. Wow, how flattering. But despite seeming a bit surprised, Newt actually looked quite attractive. His beard stubble had gone scruffy by that time of night, and the expression on his face was open and bright. His disheveled hair sat in poofy, chunky peaks, and the colorful flowers he held offset the equally colorful tattoos on his forearms. While the camera flash had made Hermann look ghostly pale, it illuminated Newt’s striking green eyes. All in all, the photo had an undeniable candidness that brought out how sweet and sort of goofy Newt could be, and before he knew it, Hermann was smiling down at the picture fondly. In fact, he didn’t even realize he’d been gazing at Newt so deeply until the ding of the elevator pulled him from his thoughts. The doors slid open and Hermann stepped out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hermann's so good at getting himself into mortifying situations and then repressing the hell out of them, isn't he? Talented guy.
> 
> And so ends the Hermann pov chapters, as we will switch back to Newt for the conference! Surely no mixups will occur there, right? Of course not. ;)
> 
> As always and forever, THANK YOU for reading. THANK YOU FOR leaving kudos. THANK YOUUUU for commenting!!


	7. Congratulations

The whole morning had been a whirlwind for Newt. Not only did he make a complete ass of himself in front of Hermann, but he did it naked no less. He kept running the events over in his mind. Hermann shielding his eyes, their hands touching, Hermann practically sprinting out of the room as soon as he could. Guess it figures he wouldn’t want anything to do with Newt in that sort of capacity. 

By the time Hermann returned, Newt was dressed and packing some paperwork away in his satchel for the event. He noticed Hermann had some sort of flyer or something that he stuffed into his own bag before Newt could see what it was.

“Oh hey, is that the event itinerary? I need to make sure I can make it to some particular lectures that I plan to decimate during the open question section.”

Hermann looked up like he was a kid caught stealing cookies. “Ah, no! It was just a.. um, an advertisement someone gave me on the way up.”

Why was Hermann being so shifty? Newt narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. “An advertisement? For what?” he challenged.

“Oh, I don’t know a museum.”

“Uh huh. And why would someone be handing out advertisements for museums in the hotel lobby?” Newt was getting pretty curious about whatever it was that Hermann was obviously trying to hide.

“For god’s sake Newton, I don’t know. Maybe they thought it was advantageous to promote a science museum during a science event, alright? Does that suit your inquisitive mind?”

“Okay then. Our flight isn’t until late afternoon tomorrow. Let’s go there in the morning.”

Hermann’s mouth turned into a line. “...To the museum?”

“Yeah, since it’s so great and all. Hey, why don’t you let me see that flyer so I can check out how far it is from here.” Newt was going to best Hermann at whatever game they were playing, whether he liked it or not.

“Oh, no need. I know precisely where it is,” Hermann answered too quickly. “Ah, I almost forgot, here are your muffins. I also got you a cup of fruit.”

Newt plucked two muffins and the fruit cup from the plate Hermann had brought up. “Thanks, man,” Newt said, deciding maybe he should play the long game and press Hermann about this so-called museum advertisement later in the day. Maybe one last poke, though.

“And nothing else happened downstairs?” he said between mouthfuls of blueberry muffin.

“Nope,” Hermann confirmed before catching himself. “Oh wait, yes. Actually I ran into Dr. Nguyen and Dr. Swan. You remember them from Sydney, yes?” 

“Lila and Oliver? I didn’t know they’d be attending!” Newt perked up, letting his interrogation about the paper Hermann brought back drop.

“And they are here with one, Willow Elliot. Are you familiar? He and Dr. Nguyen put out a paper last year.”

“Willow Elliot.. The name’s familiar but- oh shit! Dude, I’ve heard his music!” Newt exclaimed, bits of muffin exploding out of his mouth. He watched Hermann grimace and track one of the morsels with his eyes. Vaguely remembering his manners, Newt wiped his mouth and continued. “Yeah, he does some downtempo electronic stuff that was inspired by mushroomcore. Oh, I’ve gotta meet him.”

“Right, well we’ll be sure to find their group during the symposium. What say we get ready to head out now?”

Newt slurped the rest of his fruit cup into his mouth, wiped the juice away with the back of his wrist and threw on his satchel. “Let’s go, my man!”

\---

The symposium was going quite well. Hermann and Newt had split up to attend lectures in their respective fields, and so far Newt was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t a huge snooze fest. He did have to put one crotechty academic in his place when the man suggested biological warfare against the kaiju. What a freaking asshole. But besides that, things were going smoothly. In fact, it seemed as if the symposium itself was a big draw even despite having to move the date. Attendance was full, and there even appeared to be reporters covering the event. 

One such reporter intercepted Newt on his way out of the restroom during the lunch break.

“Dr. Geiszler! Dr. Geiszler! Do you have a minute to answer a few questions for  _ Popular Science _ ?” he shouted, catching Newt by surprise.

“Oh, um I guess?” Newt responded. Aside from being ambushed coming out of the bathroom, he really shouldn’t be so caught off guard by this. He was a big name in the industry, so it was only natural the press wanted to talk to him.

“Great! So first off, we hear you and Dr. Gottlieb are attending the event here together. How would you describe the dynamics between the two of you?”

Of course there were going to be questions about Hermann too. After all, the two remaining PPDC K-Science officers were kind of a package deal, especially at industry events like this.

“Well, Hermann and I have known each other for many years, and despite our ups and downs we mesh really well together. Like, surprisingly so! We’re in the lab together daily, and we’re such different people. But I think that’s what makes it work. Of course, we get into plenty of heated debates, but we both respect and understand each other so well. I’m really proud to call him my partner. I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else.”

“Mm hmm,” the reporter nodded politely before continuing on. “And what kind of challenges have the two of you faced?”

“Oh, besides the giant monsters trying to destroy the world?” Newt chided. He was pleased the reporter picked up on his sarcasm, but figured he should probably give a genuine answer. “Honestly? Trying to convince people that what we’re doing and the direction we’re trying to go is the right choice. It might be surprising to hear, but Hermann and I don’t get a lot of support. Not to be dramatic, but sometimes it really does feel like it’s just me and him against the world.”

“Right. I’m sure that’s a major factor. And any last words about what you’re hoping to get out of the event this weekend?”

“The answer to that plays directly into what I was just talking about. Hermann and I have come here to represent ourselves and to show others that what we have going on together is working. We’re trying to make a difference, trying to turn some heads. And y’know, doesn’t hurt if we enjoy ourselves a little too,” he said with a laugh.

At that, the reporter thanked Newt for his time and rushed off to pester some other attendee down the hall.

Newt made his way to the lunch area where he found Hermann already seated at a table with a couple of wrapped sandwiches and water bottles.

“Ah, there you are, Newton. I was just about to call you,” Hermann said, handing him one of the sandwiches. “What took you so long?”

“Yeah, sorry about that. I got cornered by a reporter for an impromptu interview.”

“Oh? That’s good news. Did you put in a positive word about our research?” Hermann asked between bites.

Newt tore into his own sandwich, mouth full but still talking. “Definitely, dude. If that had been a test I would’ve aced it. I mean, as usual.”

Hermann paused and lowered his sandwich. “Did they ask about me?” he inquired with some trepidation.

“Yeah of course they did.”

“...And how did you refer to me?”

Newt could hear the challenge in Hermann’s voice. “I called you Hermann like I always do.”

Hermann held his sandwich in one hand and pinched the bridge of his nose with the other.

“Newton,” he groaned. “How many times have I asked you to refer to me by my official title at these kinds of events?”

Newt knew it was a rhetorical question, and he also knew Hermann just had to grumble it out and be fussy for like five minutes, then all would be well. So Newt shrugged dismissively and took a swig from his water bottle.

After a few muttering remarks about unprofessionalism and number of years in the field, Hermann eventually graduated to regular human speech and transitioned to discussing the notes he’d taken throughout the day. At some point the conversation drifted to seminar etiquette and the two got into a debate about whether it’d be better to do their presentation using a traditional mic or a lavalier. And before they knew it, lunch was over.

\---

A few more lectures later, Newt met up with Hermann to go over their own presentation. Their speech was scheduled as the last before the closing of the event, and only half an hour remained before they were on. Hermann had organized index cards in a neat grid on the table where they sat, while Newt gestured into the air as he practiced his portion of the keynote in his head.

Hermann looked up at Newt over his reading glasses. “Will you stop waving your arms like a maniac?” he said in a hushed tone. “People are starting to stare.”

Newt glanced around the room at the other tables where various conference attendees were taking a load off or having a quick meal. Okay, yeah people were definitely looking their way.

“Oops sorry. Got carried away,” Newt said with a chuckle. Hermann rolled his eyes.

Someone who had been eyeing them from across the room passed by their table. As they did so, they addressed Newt and Hermann with a polite smile. “Congratulations,” they said. They continued on without stopping.

Hermann furrowed his brow, and Newt turned in his chair to watch the person leave. 

“What the heck was that for?” Newt asked Hermann.

“I haven’t the foggiest,” Hermann replied quizzically.

“Huh. Maybe it’s because we’re giving the keynote speech.” 

Satisfied with his own postulation, Newt shrugged and was about to go back to practicing his speech when a couple other people happened by their table.

“Congratulations, doctors!” one of them said cheerfully, while the other gave them a thumbs up. These two also didn’t stay to expand on why any sort of congratulations were in order.

Hermann took his glasses off and dropped them on the table on top of his note cards. “What in the bloody hell is going on?”

Newt looked around the room again. As before, several people were staring over at them. Some gave a smile when he made eye contact. One waved.

“Dude, I have no freaking clue,” Newt said to Hermann as he cautiously waved back. “This is kinda weirding me out.”

As Newt continued to glance around the room, he spotted Lila and crew making their way from the hall. He waved them over enthusiastically.

“Dr. Geiszler and Dr. Gottlieb! I’m so glad we were able to run into you together!” she said, greeting Newt with a hug.

The group said their greetings and introduced Willow and Newt. Of course Newt had to gush about his music, and made him promise to give a full rundown of his studio setup later. They chatted about fungus and Newt went off on a tangent about potential applications for cordyceps with respect to manipulating kaiju behavior, and eventually a lull in the conversation arose. It was then that Newt noticed Lila was smiling a little too much and that her eyes were a little too bright as she looked back and forth between him and Hermann.

“Okay Lila. What’s up. I know you’ve got something to say, so spill,” Newt said. He was really picking up a weird vibe that he wanted to get to the bottom of.

Her smile broke into a full grin. “I’m just so happy for the two of you!”

Oliver also couldn’t hold back a smile. “It’s about time. Good on ya.”

Newt looked back and forth between the two in confusion, then looked over to Hermann, who was predictably furrowing his brow again.

“I beg your pardon, but what is it that you’re referring to?” Hermann asked. 

“The two of you getting married of course!” Lila said. “Oh, I’m just so proud that you’re both finally acknowledging the feelings you have for each other. I could hug you both!”

Hermann spluttered incredulously and a fierce blush rose in his cheeks. His jaw dropped open comically, and Newt would’ve laughed if it weren’t for the fact that he too was reeling in shock.

“Ma... married?  _ Married?? _ Hermann and..? You mean  _ US?! _ ” Newt tried to articulate the precise level of confusion swirling in his head, and that was about the best he could muster.

Oliver leaned in as if to drop some secret knowledge on them. “We know you probably wanted to keep it hush-hush, especially what with careers involved and all, but we understand mate. No hard feelings about not letting us in on it earlier. But now that we know, when’s the date?” He waggled his eyebrows at them.

Newt threw himself back in his chair and put both hands over his face. He didn’t know what was happening or why, and at this point he was throwing in the towel. Hermann was going to have to field this one.

Apparently Hermann had finally gotten a hold of his jaw because he actually answered. 

“The date?? There  _ is no _ bloody date! Newton and I are not getting…” he paused as if the next word was particularly difficult to get his mouth around. “...married!”

At the peak of all the confusion, Newt’s phone began buzzing in his pocket. “Ughhh” he groaned as he sat up to check who was texting him. It was his father.

“Holy shit,” he said after a moment, quieting everyone at the table. His eyes flicked back and forth across the screen of his phone. “Uhh… Hermann?”

Hermann looked at him with trepidation. “What could it possibly be now?”

Newt handed him the phone. “Dad just sent this article. He said I have a lot of explaining to do.”

Hermann took the phone and jammed his reading glasses back onto his face. As he read through the article, his jaw dropped. Yes, again.

The article was from  _ Popular Science _ , titled “Geiszler and Gottlieb: Partners in Science, Partners in Life”. Apparently, some tabloid had covered the wedding expo, and happened to see Newt and Hermann in a few situations that had been grossly misinterpreted to the point that they were speculated to be engaged and actually attending the wedding expo in addition to the BEKS Symposium. Then  _ Popular Science _ picked up on the story and sent a reporter to investigate. And investigate they did.

The hotel clerk from the previous night was quoted as saying, “They checked in together and had our best honeymoon suite reserved. One of the gentlemen said they were not a couple, but I could tell he had other thoughts on his mind, if you understand my meaning.” Next to this was a candid photo of Newt smelling the bouquet of flowers that had been forced on him, which was sourced from the original tabloid article. And what was this? Was Hermann in the photo looking wistfully down at Newt with the most sappy look of longing and half a smile anyone had ever seen? The article also had an especially embarrassing quote from Mr. Blondy who had brought their room service. He divulged that the two shared a candle lit dinner, and one was wearing nothing but a bathrobe. Following this was the reporter’s own account of observing Hermann in the morning. This was accompanied with a photo of Hermann at the wedding expo table in the lobby. The caption read:  _ Dr. Gottlieb purchases a photo of himself and Dr. Geiszler from their arrival at the Bridal and Wedding Expo. _

But the most damning set of quotes in the entire article came from none other than Newton Geiszler himself. The reporter stated that he spoke directly with Dr. Geiszler about the nature of the relationship. The first quote read, “Hermann and I don’t get a lot of support...Sometimes it really does feel like it’s just me and him against the world.” Then the article posited that their presence at the wedding expo/science symposium was a coming out of move, fueled by Newt’s next quote. “Hermann and I have come here to represent ourselves and to show others that what we have going on together is working. We’re...trying to turn some heads. And y’know, doesn’t hurt if we enjoy ourselves a little too.” This was followed by another candidly taken photo, this time of the two of them sharing lunch from earlier in the day. But the last quote was the nail in the coffin. The reporter indicated that this was Dr. Geiszler’s own confirmation that he and Dr. Gottlieb were romantically involved, going so far as to clarify that they are indeed partners. “We’re in the lab together daily, and we’re such different people. But I think that’s what makes it work ... I’m really proud to call him my partner. I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else.”

“Oh my god, Newton!” Hermann boiled over at him, shoving Newt’s phone back across the table. “How could you let this happen?!”

“What? Why the hell is this my fault? Excuse me, but you’re the one secretly buying pictures of me and gallivanting around our hotel room in a bathrobe!” Newt fired back.

“I have never in my life  _ gallivanted _ !” Hermann countered. “And I certainly didn’t tell any reporters that we were partners!  _ Partners _ , Newton! Why did you go and say it like  _ that _ ?” Now Hermann was the one making flailing arm gestures. “And what is ‘I couldn’t imagine being with someone else’ supposed to mean? How else could they  _ possibly _ interpret that?” 

That one stung. 

Newt relented, stuffing his phone back in his pocket and deflating in his chair. “Look, I didn’t realize the reporter was actually asking about our relationship status. He just asked if we were both here together and it went from there.” He pouted and looked to the side, avoiding eye contact with Hermann. “But everything I said was true.”

“...Oh.”

The two sat in silence, their argument and the gravity of the misunderstanding settling around the entire table.

At this point Lila spoke up. “I am so,  _ so _ sorry. We had all seen the article and thought it was… well… you know. But this really isn’t any of our business, so we should get going now,” she entreated as she awkwardly stood from the table and glanced around at the others to do the same.

With that, the Australian crew made their exits as gracefully as possible, leaving Newt and Hermann to sort things out on their own. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello world. It's been a while. 
> 
> I hope if you're reading this, you've kept a small place in your heart for this story even though it was on hiatus for so long. As usual, thank you to anyone (new or old) who is reading this, and of course huge thank you to those of you who comment. Most of all, thank you for sticking with me. 
> 
> Look for the next chapter tomorrow night, and the epilogue chapter to come out sometime on Sunday. Valentine's Day.


	8. Partners

Newt’s heart pounded in his chest and his head spun. How many people had seen the article? What was he going to tell his dad? Would this affect his working relationship with Hermann? Should he just come out and profess his undying love for the guy right then and there? What if Hermann decided to leave the PPDC after this embarrassment? Why was Hermann buying that photo of them? How was  _ any _ of this actually happening? Was it possible this was some alternate reality that Newt had somehow stumbled into? Or maybe it was just a dream and he was still snoozing on the plane?

“Hermann do you think we’re on a plane right now?” Newt said basically out of nowhere, breaking the silence that hung between the two. 

Hermann’s face turned to confusion. “What? A  _ plane _ ? Newton, I swear I have no idea what goes on in that head of yours, but-” 

“Well I was just thinking maybe none of this is real! Y’know? Like maybe we’re having a shared lucid dream because, because, I don’t know. Maybe it’s all the stress we’re under!” Newt interrupted frantically, flailing his arms in typical fashion. Something in him told him that if he ran his mouth enough, maybe he could outrun the inevitable. Maybe Hermann would get distracted and forget that he was so horribly mortified by the thought of people mistaking them for a couple. And maybe somehow, someway, Hermann wouldn’t decide this fiasco was the end of their friendship.

Hermann gave him a stern look, grabbed both his arms and brought them down, holding them still against the table. It wasn’t rough, but it did get Newt’s attention enough to keep him from spiralling off and flying out of the earth’s atmosphere. Sometimes it was really nice to have Hermann there tethering him to reality. He slumped in his chair again and looked at Hermann apologetically.

“Oh, don’t give me that forlorn look, Newton,” Hermann chastised. “This is hardly the worst embarrassment I’ve suffered because of you.”

“...Really?”

“Certainly,” Hermann said with the puff of a sardonic laugh.

“So.. You’re not going to look for another job?” Newt asked pathetically.

“Why the hell would I do that?” 

“Because you want a divorce,” Newt moped. Okay at this point it was becoming clear things weren’t as bad as he had feared, so yeah maybe he exaggerated his despair a little bit.

“You know bloody well we aren’t married,” Hermann countered with an eyeroll.

“But nobody else knows that!”

Hermann was still holding Newt’s arms down, stretched across the small table. He let them go and pulled his hands back to meet Newt’s so that they were resting gently against each other. “Newton,” he said, eyes looking anywhere but Newt’s own. “Even if I ever did find myself somehow inexplicably, horrifyingly married to you, I don’t think I’d actually have any reason to divorce you.” He gave Newt’s hands a small, almost imperceptible squeeze before pulling away fully. With that settled, he began to rummage through his note cards.

Newt could plainly see the blush spread bright across Hermann’s cheekbones. And he could feel the heat in his own face rising. It made his chest tight and his heart was pounding again. Not out of fear and worry this time, but from something else entirely. From hope that maybe there really was something between the two of them.

“Doctors! There you are!” a voice called out to them, cutting through the small moment of intimacy they shared. Newt looked up to see a woman with a headset and clipboard and a frantic look on her face. “You’re up in five minutes! You need to get backstage NOW!”

“Oh shit dude!” Newt yelled, and the two of them clumsily gathered up their things and took off.

\---

They took the stage to furious applause. Newt wished he could see the audience beyond the lights. He was somehow envious that in the minds of all these people, he and Hermann were an item. What must it be like to live in a world where Dr. Gottlieb and Dr. Geiszler were romantically involved for all the world to see? Newt could only imagine.

Eventually the applause died down and Hermann started in on their speech.

Everything went surprisingly smoothly. Newt didn’t know what he was worried about. The two of them had such a comfortable dynamic and rhythm that even despite the day’s shakeup, their presentation flowed back and forth between each other flawlessly. They took a few questions along the way, and apparently there was some real interest in their research. They were killing it.

And then someone asked about the article.

Hermann had called on them, and was left wide-eyed like a deer in the headlights when it happened. He opened and closed his mouth as if he was about to reply, but then decided to abort. The awkwardness filled the entire room, and all the confidence and authority Hermann just had on display during his mathematical analysis of the Breach disappeared. 

Newt couldn’t stand it anymore, and about the third time Hermann opened his mouth and didn’t speak, Newt grabbed the mic away from him. 

“Okay. So you wanna know the scoop between me and Hermann?” 

Newt heard Hermann off to the side muttering something about his title. Oh so now the guy can speak? Whatever. Newt didn’t want to feel bad about what happened anymore. He didn’t want it to weigh on him. And most of all, he didn’t want it affecting all the hard work he and Hermann had both put into presenting at this event.

“Then I’ll tell you,” he continued. “The answer is no. Herm- Dr. Gottlieb and I are not in any kind of romantic relationship.” There was an audible muttering about the room as people took in this new development.

“We’re not married, we’re not engaged, we’re not even dating. But you know what we  _ are _ ? We are the two BEST Kaiju Science officers the world has  _ ever _ seen, and neither of us would have acquired the knowledge or the skills or the tenacity needed to save humanity if it weren’t for each other. Every day I come into work and face the possibility of the end of the world.  _ Every day _ . And it doesn’t matter how tired or disheartened I am. It doesn’t matter if I’m armpits-deep in kaiju spleen or if my skin is burnt from ammonia. By the end of the day, I’m better as a scientist  _ and as a person _ because of Dr. Gottlieb. Always. He sees me the way no other person has, and he believes in my work. He believes in  _ me _ .”

At this point Newt glanced over to Hermann, who stood aside the lectern, watching him with surprise and possibly adoration. “And I believe in him,” Newt said, lingering another moment, eyes locked with Hermann’s, before looking back at the crowd.

“I’m standing before you today, the foremost expert in my field  _ because _ Dr. Hermann Gottlieb is standing here next to me. And I wouldn’t have it any other way! I mean, you heard his presentation. His work speaks for itself! I would literally put my life in his hands. And guess what? I do. Every. Single. Day. So are we romantically involved? No, unfortunately not. I guess you’ll have to save that for your nerdy science fanfiction. But it doesn’t matter, because we’re something even better and even stronger. We’re lab partners.  _ And we’re going to save the fucking world! _ ”

With that Newt dropped the mic onto the podium, grabbed Hermann’s arm and dragged him off the stage.

In the wings and out of view, words finally came to Hermann. “What was that about?” he said in shock. 

“Dude, I don’t know, I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I felt like people were making fun of us or something, and I’m not about to stand for that! I’m all full of adrenaline now though. Did I do a cool mic drop at the end?” 

“Yes, it was very cool. But hardly the appropriate setting for talking about our personal lives! I hope we didn’t ruin any chances at donors after that,” Hermann said with worry clearly on his face. Then he smiled. “But... I should thank you for speaking so well of me, Newton. I feel entirely the same way about you.”

“Really?” Newt asked, a smile perking up on his face.

They had left the stage so abruptly that for a moment, the audience expected them to come back. But after a few seconds, it didn’t matter either way, because the crowd erupted into applause and cheers.

“What the- dude why are they applauding?” Newt said and started back towards the stage, Hermann in tow.

When they stepped back out into the light, another wave of cheers came from the crowd. Newt and Hermann took the opportunity to gather the notes they’d left on the podium, made a few polite bows, then hurried off the stage once more.

With that, the event was over. The crowd spilled out into the hotel lobby, some heading out to dinner, others mingling after the long day of lectures and presentations. Newt and Hermann wandered through, trying to make a quick escape up to their room, but were immediately bombarded by other symposium attendees. Apparently the two were a big hit. Newt’s speech had touched a number of people who felt the same about working with their own small teams in the field. They knew what it was like to toil away at a cause that sometimes seemed insurmountable, but it was possible because they were doing it together. And it wasn’t just scientists and engineers who connected with Newt’s words. Some of the fat-cat donors came up to shake their hands. One such fat-cat who had made their fortune as a world renowned restaurateur, even mentioned that Newt’s speech was the only one in the entire day’s worth of lectures that got to the heart of humanity. That it was about trust and faith. As they parted ways, they even extended an invitation to their bistro to Newt and Hermann, but not before hinting that they’d be making a call to Marshall Pentecost about funding in the coming week. Tired and relieved and still mostly in shock, Newt and Hermann eventually made it into an elevator and up to their room.

\---

Newt was sprawled out on the bed scrolling through science news articles on his phone while he waited for Hermann to take a shower. After everything that had happened that day, he was feeling especially respectful of Hermann’s privacy and didn’t try to steal any glances this time. Besides, he was too busy soaking up all the positive reviews of the symposium, and in particular the big splash that Geiszler and Gottlieb made in the closing speech. He even stumbled across a follow up article from  _ Popular Science _ that retracted its previous error, but still called them “a match made in heaven” and extolled the virtues of their dynamics. Newt was also pleased to see that many of the articles didn’t just focus on relationship gossip, but actually gave thoughtful reviews of the work they presented. 

Newt’s phone buzzed in his hand. A text message from his father popped up. 

_ Was ist lost? Was ist passiert? Ich hab den ganzen Tag nichts gehört!” _

“Oh shit!” Newt yelled aloud into the room. He definitely left his dad hanging all day. The poor guy was probably trying to piece together what was going on though a mix of tabloids and science journals or something.

“What’s going on out there?” Hermann called from the bathroom. He had since stepped out of the shower.

Newt furiously typed up an explanation and sent a slew of messages back to his father. “Dad’s texting me. I’ve gotta explain that he doesn’t actually have a new son-in-law-to-be.”

Hermann rounded the corner into the bedroom, fully dressed (no bathrobe this time, Newt noticed), towelling at his hair still a bit damp. “Oh? And how’s he taking it?”

“He says he understands, and that of course he was happy to welcome you to the family, and-” Newt stopped short. “-and that’s it.”

“That’s it?” Hermann said flatly. “If that’s all he said, then why are you turning that shade of pink?”

And he was. Newt hadn’t even realized he had begun blushing, but the most recently received text put him on the spot.

“Well… he says I should take you out to dinner and I should make it clear how I feel about you.”

He glanced over to Hermann with trepidation and tried to gauge his reaction. Hermann worked his jaw as if he was gnawing on an especially tough piece of meat. That couldn’t possibly be a good sign. “You know what, nevermind,” Newt said quickly. “He clearly has the wrong idea about us, right? I’ll just text him back and clear this up. So just forget it. Ha ha. It’s absurd. Silly. I mean, you know how parents can be, so I’ll just-”

“Dinner could be nice,” Hermann interrupted. 

“Huh what?”

Hermann wasn’t looking at Newt anymore, and he wasn’t moving his jaw side to side anymore either. He turned to bring his towel back to the bathroom, but just as he turned the corner behind the glass partition, Newt could see the tips of his ears were a flushed pink that matched the color on Newt’s cheeks.

“After all,” Hermann replied from the bathroom. “It would be quite rude not to take up our newest financier on their offer to visit their restaurant while we’re here.” When he re-emerged from the bathroom he gave Newt a bashful smile. 

And of course Newt couldn’t help smiling back. “Yeah. It sure would.”

\---

They were welcomed warmly to the bistro and ushered to a table straight away, despite not having a reservation  _ and _ despite it being Valentine’s day. Right. Valentine’s day. It had been easy to forget in the whirlwind of the symposium, but as Newt and Hermann sat at their cozy little table for two sipping wine in a dimly lit Parisian bistro decorated with flowers and candles for the occasion, there was no way Newt could pretend it wasn’t a night for love and romance and couples and fluttering hearts and meeting each other’s eyes and and and… Okay he was kind of getting lost in his thoughts. Damn if he wasn’t such a sucker for romantic settings.

The two talked lightly about the weather, and complimented the food when it arrived. They polished off a bottle of wine easily, and when they were offered a second they didn’t decline. By the end of the meal they were both enjoying themselves quite well, and Hermann even contemplated the idea of getting a dessert.

“Dessert! Wow Herms you’re really letting loose tonight,” Newt laughed as he waved over a server to request the dessert menu.

“If I desire a dessert,” Hermann said, speech a bit more spaced out than usual (let’s face it, he was only one more glass of wine away from slurring his words together completely). “Then I shall have a dessert.”

The server appeared promptly and handed Hermann the menu. He took a look, squinted, then brought out his glasses and sighed. “Oh, maybe I shouldn’t after all. I think I’m quite too full for any of these.”

“Whaaat? After all that big talk about getting what you desire?” Newt teased. “Tell you what, you order whatever you want, and we can share. You know I can put away whatever you don’t finish.” He patted his stomach and winked across the table at Hermann, who giggled in response.

“Oh, alright. If you insist.” Hermann smiled in a way he only did when he was very pleased. “We’ll have the red velvet cake.”

When the small cake was set down on the table along with two dainty forks, Newt’s jaw dropped. “Uhhh Hermann, are you sure this is appropriate for us to share?”

He looked up at Hermann who, to his confusion, began laughing like he had never seen anything funnier. The guy was practically in stitches. 

“Newton, I ordered it on purpose! Can you believe it? Look! It looks just like our bed!” At this point Hermann was laughing so hard he was wiping away tears.

And indeed it did. The cake was shaped like a little heart, and the cream cheese frosting was just like the downy comforter of their hotel bed.  _ Of course _ it’d be a heart. How could it  _ not _ be a freaking heart?

“Oh, come on Newton. It’s fine. It’s just a silly cake.” Hermann was already three bites in at this point. “Besides, what’s the worst that could happen? People thinking we’re  _ partners _ ?” He smiled coyly before shoving another piece of cake into his mouth.

Newt cracked a smile and grabbed his fork. “You’ve got a point there!”

\---

It wasn’t late when they started back to the hotel, but after an exhausting day, a delicious meal and a seven hour time zone shift under their belts, they were both ready to call it a night. Hermann suggested they walk the short distance back so they could enjoy the brisk February air and clear their heads of the bottle and a half of wine they’d shared between them. Their fits of laughter and giggles from dinner and dessert had begun to wear off, and they were left with a comfortable quietness between them as they walked. It was cold out, but Newt felt warm and fuzzy from the alcohol. A bit swimmy, but not enough to cause any problems. Hermann, on the other hand, was swaying like a flagpole in the wind. Newt sidled up beside him and wrapped an arm around Hermann’s waist, then threw one of Hermann’s arms around his shoulders for support. It wasn’t awkward and Newt didn’t feel shy or nervous about their closeness. It felt ...natural. Like the gravitational pull of the earth. Hermann gave out a small breathy laugh, which turned to a puff of vapor in the cold air, then dissipated into nothing. 

\---

Back in their room, the two got ready for bed and crawled under the covers. They were far too drained to even be slightly embarrassed, and by this time they had gotten completely over the preposterous shape. Newt quickly turned out the light, this time making sure not to crowd Hermann in the process. He scooched back down under the blankets, and within minutes felt himself drifting into a very much welcomed sleep.

Until he realized Hermann was muttering at him. 

“Newton. Are you sleeping?” he asked so quietly that at first Newt thought Hermann might be sleep talking.

Newt opened his eyes slightly and could tell, even in the dark, that Hermann was still somewhat awake. “Not yet. What’s up dude?” He rolled over so the two were laying facing each other.

Hermann scrunched down further under the covers so just the top of his face was poking out. His eyes were closed. “Your breath smells like wine.”

Newt laughed quietly. “I hate to break it to you, but so does yours. Is that what you wanted to tell me?”

“Nnn,” Hermann muttered from beneath the covers. “Did you.. did you really mean all those things you said?” he asked in barely a whisper.

“Which things?” Newt whispered back.

There was a long pause. Had Hermann fallen asleep? Newt wouldn’t have been surprised. But eventually he did answer.

“In that article. And the speech when…” Another long pause. Yeah he was definitely falling asleep.

“Absolutely,” Newt replied solemnly.

“...Really?”

“Really. And I know that reporter misunderstood what I said, but...” Newt trailed off. He was feeling especially candid. Maybe it was the wine or the exhaustion or the way Hermann looked so peaceful buried up to his nose in the billowy duvet. “...but I really do think of you as a partner. And I mean, not just a  _ lab _ partner.” He paused, trying to gather the words, but it was difficult while fighting sleep. “I think of you as  _ my _ partner. And I’m yours. And I… I would be yours forever... if you’d have me. I couldn’t imagine being without you… because I...”

Sleep finally overtook Newt. He drifted off before he could say what he really wanted to say. But it didn’t matter anyway, because Hermann had already fallen asleep himself before Newt had even started to respond. That night Newt dreamt that he and Hermann were both in love, and that everybody in the whole entire world knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we made it through the symposium and everything turned out in the end. They sorted out the big misunderstanding, they got their funding, and they even had a nice dinner and dessert to celebrate. It's a shame that Newt didn't get to tell Hermann how he feels about him, but we all know that a year later he'll see it in the drift. 
> 
> I have one more chapter that is an epilogue of sorts. Just one last outing on their last day in Paris, told from Hermann's point of view. In the mean time, thank you for your support and wonderful comments on this over the past few months, and even in the past 24 hrs! It fill my heart. <3


	9. De L’Amour (Epilogue)

When Hermann woke up, sunlight was already filtering through the floor-to-ceiling window of the hotel room. He felt groggy and fuzzy, but not hungover thank goodness. This morning there were no tattooed arms slung over him, which was… dare he admit? Disappointing. But instead he awoke to see Newt’s peaceful sleeping face. The two were facing each other in bed, and Newt was close enough to Hermann that they were almost nose to nose. It wasn’t often that Hermann was afforded such a close look at Newt, so he decided to take advantage. He looked over Newt’s features, making mental notes of each and storing them away so that he could recall them later in his mind. He took in the thickness of Newt’s eyebrows and the shape of his nose. He observed the beard stubble that had grown since the previous morning’s shave, and he especially admired the gentle curve of Newt’s cheeks. He was struck with an intense desire to cup one of those cheeks in his hand and gingerly run a thumb over Newt’s soft, pink lips. 

But he didn’t, for that would be far too intimate.

Instead he just looked. Even if he couldn’t touch the object of his desires, he could at least admire him quietly. After all, it’d be foolish to think that anything could ever develop romantically between them after this crazy weekend. Newt had made it quite clear how much he valued Hermann and their current working relationship as-is. He’d really spoken from his heart during their presentation, and if their friendship meant so much to Newt, there was no way Hermann was going to mess it up by letting  _ feelings _ get involved. And if he thought about it, Newt was right. They had something much better than if they were a romantic couple. What they had was meaningful and fulfilling and genuine.

But this was maddening. He felt closer to Newt now than he had in years. He felt like there was something shared between the two of them, like some secret truth that neither spoke but both knew. But that’s all he could chalk it up to. A feeling. So he did his best not to read too deeply into Newt’s words from the article or from the end of their presentation. And he tried to remind himself that they’d both had far too much wine and that’s why Newt walked him home with an arm around his waist. But it was hard not to hope that underneath all of this, there was something more. What was it that Newt said in the article? Oh that’s right…

“I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else,” Hermann whispered as quietly as possible, still studying Newt’s face.

To his surprise, Newt’s closed eyes squished tight before fluttering slightly open. “Huh..? What’s up dude?” Newt said in that sleepy, muffled way where you don’t really annunciate when you first wake up.

“Oh! Ah, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Hermann said in a hushed tone. They were still only inches apart. “Er, you didn’t happen to hear what I said did you?”

“Mmm… no. Sorry,” Newt mumbled back. His half hooded eyes met Hermann’s. “What’d you say?”

Hermann gulped in a way he hoped wasn’t noticeable, which of course it was. “Nothing. Just remarking what a mess your hair is in the morning.”

Newt gave a little smile and closed his eyes. “Yeah right, you’re probably jealous I wake up looking so good,” he joked sleepily.

It was obvious this was said in jest, but Hermann’s heart rate was becoming brisk, and a thought flashed in his mind that maybe Newt had heard him. Or even worse, what if Newt could somehow read his mind?

Okay, that’s ridiculous. 

When Hermann mentally returned to the present, he realized Newt had since opened his eyes again and was taking him in.

“So, yesterday,” Newt offered with a half smile.

“Indeed.”

“Is there anything we need to talk about?”

“Talk about?” Hermann’s voice cracked almost imperceptibly. 

“Yeah, like, I dunno. Where we stand with each other? I mean, or whatever.”

Was this some kind of test?  _ Was _ Newt somehow reading his mind? Maybe while Newt slept Hermann’s thoughts were beamed directly into his dreaming brain.

“Uh, well,” Hermann started. “I don’t quite, hmm.”

Newt’s half smile faltered slightly, and Hermann was surprised to find that something about that made his heart drop.

“Nevermind, dude. It’s fine.”

“No! I mean,” Hermann started again. “I.. I completely agree with you and I feel the same.”

The smile was back. Oh good.

“And,” Hermann continued. “Despite our differences and bickering, I do think the world of you. And I think that you’re absolutely right. We have so much more to our friendship as it is, than if we were… er, romantically entwined.” 

“Oh,” Newt said, his smile faltering a bit again. But then his expression shifted to understanding and reassurance. “Right, yeah. Our friendship. Definitely, I mean, I wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world. Cool. Cool.”

He raised his eyebrows at Hermann and gave another smile, but Hermann couldn’t help but feel as if he’d missed something crucial. Something that was there but he didn’t understand enough to perceive. But the moment passed quickly since Newt was already stretching and kicking off the covers.

“Aaaaaalright!” he said, popping out of the bed. “You ready to hit the science museum?”

“The science museum?” What on earth was he talking about all of a sudden. 

“Yeah. You know, that flyer you suspiciously brought back and wouldn’t show me yesterday morning? I looked up all the science museums in the area and found the one it must be, so like, get those grandpa trousers on your butt and let’s go!” he said with a laugh.

Well this was going to be mortifying. “Oh, Newton. That was… that was all a ruse, I’m afraid. I might as well come clean about it since it was in that damned article anyway.”

“Oh?”

“You see, there was no museum flyer. It was the photograph of us from when we arrived at the hotel. I didn’t want anyone from the symposium to see it and get the wrong idea, so I purchased it. Just to remove it from public view! And well, I suppose I created a bigger misunderstanding in the process.”

“Ohh. Okay now  _ that _ makes sense. I was wondering why you were being so freaking shifty about it. Well, it doesn’t matter anyway because I really did look up science museums in the area and I kinda want to go to this one that’s near here. So what do you say? Please? Can we go, Hermann? Pleasepleasepleaseplease?”

Despite his embarrassment over the mishap with the photo, Hermann really couldn’t help but laugh at Newt’s antics. “Yes, alright Newton. We can go.”

Newt pumped his fist in the air in triumph, looking absolutely ridiculous standing next to their heart-shaped bed in his worn boxers and tank top. God Hermann was head over heels for this idiot.

\---

From the convention center, Hermann and Newt made the short trip to the museum. They passed the Eiffel Tower and crossed the Seine, and found themselves at the Palais de la Découverte. Inside was an exhibit called On Love, which to Hermann looked more like an art installation than anything science based. Upon entering, they stopped at the first of many placards. This one was a bright red, eight foot tall sign that introduced the exhibit.

_ Love is a thing that affects us all, but seems intangible. In turn fragile, passionate, alarming or an all-powerful driving force behind many affairs. _

The placard went on to describe the layout of the gallery. One section explored different kinds of love through imagery, mixed media and interactive elements. And the other focused on the science of love. Chemistry, psychology, neural connections in the brain.

Of course there’d be an exhibit about love in Paris on Valentine’s weekend. How was it that Hermann kept forgetting? But even though the blatant discussions of PDA and affection made him a bit embarrassed, the gallery actually was pretty interesting. Meanwhile, Newt was enjoying himself by critiquing the claims about physiology and connections to emotion. In one leg of the gallery there were stories of various types of love. It wasn’t all romance. It explored families and colleagues and friends. Even rivals. Newt had laughed warmly when they got to that one, and remarked that it sounded like the two of them. There was a fondness in his voice that Hermann couldn’t deny. 

“Indeed it does,” he agreed.

They moved through the section about chemicals and attachment, and stopped in front of another placard which Newt read aloud.

“ _ The beating heart, the sweaty hands...indeed if love expresses in all our body, it is first in our brain that everything starts. _ ” 

It was such a simple notion, but Hermann took the words in, considering them intently. “In our brain…” he repeated to himself thoughtfully. It seemed that the more they explored the exhibit, the more concepts and allegories applied to him and Newt. Could it be that even though they didn’t say it directly to each other in words, the two of them really did have some kind of love between them? Hermann started feeling dizzy.

“Ah, Newton. I… I think I need to sit down for a moment,” he said. He felt very hot and his heart was beating out of his chest. 

“Oh jeez, are you alright? Yeah we’ll find somewhere to rest. Hey I think I see a bench over there.”

With that, Newt ushered Hermann through a set of red curtains that sectioned off another part of the exhibit, and they found themselves in a room full of mirrors. Sure enough, there was an empty bench facing a fully mirrored wall, so the two of them sat.

Hermann was able to calm himself down a bit. He sorted through his thoughts and emotions. It was as if everything in this gallery was a sign to just tell Newt how he felt, to spill it all out in the open, consequences be damned. He didn’t want to be just friends. He didn’t want to be just lab partners. He waded through the pros and cons of taking some sort of action, but in the end came up empty handed.

The two sat there side by side looking back at their own reflections in silence. It struck Hermann that this must be how everyone else sees them. Always together, always a pair. And that he and Newt were the only two people in the world who were never really privy to it. Of course he saw Newt all the time, and likewise Newt saw him constantly. But when had they been able to see themselves  _ together _ ? In front of this large mirror sitting next to each other, he couldn’t deny how they looked. They looked like a pair. Like a couple. They looked like they belonged together.

“Uh, I had a good weekend,” Newt said, breaking the silence. He made eye contact with Hermann through the mirror. He bounced his leg the way he often did when he was either full of energy or he was feeling nervous.

Hermann looked back at him through the mirror. “I did too.”

“Even though we were gossiped about by basically everyone in our field?”

“Yes, even though we were gossiped about,” Hermann said with a chuckle.

“And even though my dad thought we eloped?”

Hermann rolled his eyes at this one. “Yes, even though your father thought we eloped.”

Then, without looking away from the mirror, Newt addressed Hermann solemnly. “Hermann, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a really long time.”

“Oh?”

“But… I don’t think I can yet,” Newt said. He looked nervously at Hermann for acceptance.

“I see,” Hermann replied, more pros and cons flying through his head.

“But I will. Someday.” Newt’s eyes looked brighter. Passionate. It was a promise, and somehow Hermann understood. 

He understood because the two of them were the same. He understood that they  _ already _ were so much more than lab partners. He understood that deep down there truly was love between them. There always had been. And though it pained his heart, he understood that first before anything, they had to save the world.

So after a moment, Hermann responded with a gentle smile. “I know.”

With that, he took Newt’s hand that had been next to his on the bench, and held it softly between them. And there they sat, not needing words, taking in the sight of themselves together. A pair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The De L'Amour exhibit at the Palais de la Découverte was a real thing. It ran from February 2020 through August, and was the last exhibit before the planned four year renovation. So the timeline doesn't really match up, but we're taking some liberties here. ;) Anyway, there are a few reviews and articles about the exhibit. It was fun to read up on it and imagine Hermann and Newt wandering through. Everything referenced in the fic is pulled straight from descriptions of the exhibit.
> 
> And with that, we come to a close. I know I've said it a lot, but I'm SO appreciative of everyone who has taken the time to read this. I'm not very active in the fandom space anymore, but I just couldn't let this one go unfinished. It was your views and supportive comments that helped give me the motivation to see it through to the end. <3 Thank you. And happy Valentine's Day.


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